The subject invention relates to a plastic holding element for fastening inside a support opening. The element includes a base body and two oppositely disposed resilient fingers arranged thereon for extending through the support opening at an acute angle with each other. In the installed condition, the fingers grip behind the support opening. In each case, the base body and the resilient fingers define an approximately triangular interspace.
Such holding elements are already broadly known in the prior art wherein to a base body are connected two resilient fingers which lie opposite each other. Typically, another element is present at a location above a sealing lip (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,909,883 and 3,678,797). It is a disadvantage in these known constructions that their design results in a thick accumulation of the plastic material in the zone of the resilient fingers. As a consequence, exact accuracy of size of these resilient fingers is not possible. Moreover, the thick accumulation of the plastic material results in an undesired shrinking of material during cooling after the molding process. As a consequence, during production a slow injection of plastic is necessary. Also, in the final product, a constant checking of quality is necessary.
Also in the prior art are other holding elements with rectangles at right angles to each other instead of the resilient fingers (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,412,437, and French Patent 2,426,179). Also known is the arrangement of a slot between the resilient fingers (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,213,500). These known constructions also do not meet the requirement of accuracy of measurement because of their special shaping.
The present invention addresses the problem of designing a holding element of the kind mentioned so that, in a simple manner, a large or thick accumulation of material does not result and in production a constant good quality of finished product is assured.